Tell the New York Board of Health to Serve Up a Healthy Change!

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg boldly proposed setting reasonable portion sizes for sugary drinks sold in restaurants, movie theaters and food carts. With 32- and 64-ounce sodas commonplace across the city, the mayor wants to limit portion sizes to 16 ounces to help make people more aware of how much sugar they're drinking. It's up to the New York City Board of Health to decide whether to approve and implement the plan, and they're accepting comments from the public RIGHT NOW.

The mayor's proposal is backed by extensive scientific research that shows that enormous portion sizes for sugary drinks are among the driving forces of the ongoing obesity epidemic. The Institute of Medicine recently recommended that government leaders adopt policies and implement practices to reduce over-consumption of sugary drinks, which are a top source of calories in Americans' diets.

Take Action: Tell the NYC Board of Health to approve the mayor's proposal.

I am writing in support of Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s sensible proposal to limit the size of soda and similar sugar-sweetened beverages sold in restaurants, movie theaters and food carts to 16 ounces. I applaud the mayor for taking this strong step to tackle obesity rates in New York City, and I urge you to approve the proposal.

Norms for sugary drink sizes are alarmingly high, as 32 and 64 ounce sodas are commonplace across the city. Even the proposed limit of 16 ounces is still double a standard 8-ounce serving. Mayor Bloomberg’s plan is backed by extensive scientific research that shows growing portion sizes for sugary drinks are among the driving forces of the ongoing obesity epidemic. The Institute of Medicine recently recommended that government leaders adopt policies and implement practices to reduce over-consumption of sugary drinks, which are a top source of calories in Americans’ diets.

Right now, about one-third of children and two-thirds of adults are overweight or obese. Obesity is an epidemic, and it contributes to growing rates of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, hypertension and even some cancers. If we do not reverse childhood obesity in particular, this generation of kids could be the first in America’s history to live sicker and die younger than their parents’ generation.

Bold action from leaders like you is needed to reverse the obesity epidemic, and we can’t wait!

New York is one of the greatest cities in the world, and you have the opportunity to make it even greater, by continuing to lead the nation in using policy to improve nutrition and prevent obesity. Please approve Mayor Bloomberg’s proposal and serve up a healthy change for our great city.